


Reach

by Rentboy



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2015-07-29
Packaged: 2018-04-03 18:23:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4110634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rentboy/pseuds/Rentboy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The human race has achieved interstellar travel and has colonized celestial bodies of many local solar systems.  In an attempt to govern humanity as it continued to spread, The Alliance was created to provide a community of even the most far flung settlements.  Fraught with corruption brought on by greedy pioneers looking to establish first rights on newly discovered worlds, the Alliance gained many enemies.  Fed up with the exploratory bias of the Alliance, the Earth Empire emerged.  Holding Earth, our home planet, as the center of our society, the Earth Empire sought to control the entirety of human endeavor.  After years of war, the Earth Empire managed to topple the Alliance and shift humanities focus back to its original planet.  A vacuum of power was created among the colonized planets and was quickly filled by the Red Lotus.  A radical group that believes in expansion and exploration at all costs, the Red Lotus has provided structure and prosperity to the outer reaches of humanity in defiance of the Earth Empire.  Set in the years following the defeat of the Alliance, a band of smugglers are commissioned by the Earth Empire to transport a highly valuable and highly dangerous asset.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Asset Aquired

“I hope Tenzin knows what he’s doing with this. Working with the Earth Empire is never a good idea,” Mako said, shifting uneasily next to her. Their contact had finally docked after keeping them waiting for a good hour and a half.

“Trust me. Once you see how much we're getting for this job, you won’t give a damn who’s paying us.”

“It’s kind of strange though, isn’t it? Tenzin’s always been very careful. He doesn’t seem like the type to go in blind with just a big paycheck as a promise.”

“He’s not. That’s how much their paying us, Mako. Half of it upfront too. We could fuck off right after we make the exchange here and retire comfortably. Of course, that’s not his way. Doesn’t matter who the deal’s with. He always keeps his word.”

“True, a rare quality amongst our kind.”

“Yeah. Plus if we did cross the Earth Empire on something this important, we’d be utterly and completely fucked.”

“That’s the other thing. This prisoner is clearly crucial for them. Why would they trust this to a group of independent smugglers? Surely they have their own people for stuff like this.”

“Maybe it’s top secret, and we’re just the right mix of dependable and expendable. Maybe it’s part of a coup by someone close to Kuvira. Or maybe, you should stop digging too deep into the jobs we take before you find out something you wish you never knew. You do like being able to sleep at night, right Mako?”

“Yes…”

“Good, then do your job, take your pay, and don’t think about where it comes from. We’re criminals in case you forgot, and the best way for a criminal to escape justice is by being useful. Now, if you’re done, I think our guest of honor is just about to grace us with their presence.”

The doors at the far end of the docking bay slid open with a soft hiss. The prisoner, flanked by two huge armed guards crossed the threshold. Korra looked her over curiously. She was tall with smooth white skin and raven black hair. The tattoos peeking out of her collar and the bottoms of her sleeves indicated a lot more being covered by her plain jumpsuit. As she looked up and met Korra’s gaze she got a good look at her face. It didn’t seem familiar. And she certainly would have recognized this woman. If not for her striking looks, then for the prominent old scar that sliced diagonally from the center of her forehead across her left eye and down to her cheek. The eye had suffered damage from whatever blow had done this to her and now was just a blank white orb contrasting the vibrant green one next to it. That one good eye stared directly back at Korra, and she detected the slightest smirk in the woman’s expression.

They exchanged money and captive wordlessly. They had already received their itinerary via secure communication a few days ago. Once she was secured and standing between them, the guards stepped back through the portal to their ship and left them alone with the prisoner. As Korra and Mako escorted her to the holding cell, Korra silently thanked herself for bringing Mako along for this one instead of his idiotic little brother. The tension during the exchange had been thick, and if there was one thing Mako was good for, it was being serious. This was probably the most important job they’d done ever, and nothing was going to be handled with anything less than the utmost professionalism. Tenzin had made that very clear to her.

When they arrived at the holding cell, Korra gave their prisoner the rundown. “Well this will be your home for the next couple weeks. Here’s your bed and bathroom right here. Someone will be by three times a day to give you food and check on you. You will not leave this cell until we are ready to turn you over to whoever it is that wants you so badly. Any questions?”

The woman had been staring at her the whole time. As Korra met her gaze a smile formed on her lips.

“Just one. What is your name?”

Korra was taken aback for a second and took a moment to refocus. “My name is Korra.”

“Beautiful,” she said. “I’m Asami. I’m looking forward to our little trip together.”

Korra didn’t really know how to respond. She looked to Mako, but he just shrugged.

“Right,” she said curtly, closing and locking the cell door. “Someone should be around to check on you in a few hours.” As she and Mako left, Korra turned back for one last look. Asami was still staring at her. She gave Korra one more alluring smile and winked. Then, she turned to her bed and laid down, staring at the ceiling.

Her and Mako split off, Mako heading for the crew quarters and Korra going to meet Tenzin on the bridge. “Make sure to give Tenzin a full report on your new girlfriend,” Mako called after her as they separated. She scowled at him. Still, it would have been much worse with Bolin.

She entered the bridge to find Tenzin standing in the center, watching the Earth Empire transport ship drift off into the distance, stoic as ever.

“The prisoner is secure, captain.”

Tenzin continued staring. “Good,” he finally responded, “Opal, set our course. No use in spending any more time here.”

“Aye aye, sir,” Opal said as she fiddled with her controls. The ship lurched into motion. It turned so that the Earth Empire ship slipped from view, and was replaced by thousands of glittering stars.

“So,” Korra addressed Tenzin, “we’re you able to find out anything more about our guest.”

“Only that she was a crucial member of the Alliance before it fell. I’m not sure what role she had specifically, but she was definitely within Hiroshi Sato’s inner circle.”

“You’d think the Earth Empire would just want her executed. That’s what they seem to be doing to anyone else from the Alliance that crops up making trouble. Maybe she has something they want.”

“As far as we know, the rumors about former Alliance personnel being killed are simply that, rumors. In any event, it is not our job to know such things. Our job is to get her into the right hands quickly and safely.”

“Still, you can never be too thorough.”

“No, no you can’t. Speaking of which, I’m putting you in charge of checking on our guest for the duration of the trip.”

“What? Why? Isn’t that a job for the crew? I haven’t been on prisoner duty in years.”

“Yes, but this is the most crucial operation we’ve ever undertaken. Probably the most important one we will ever take. I need to trust that everything is being handled appropriately. I know that’s not typically your job, but this isn’t our typical run.”

“Fine, I’ll take care of it. You’re starting to make me nervous, Tenzin,” Korra said teasingly, “If the shit hits the fan on this one, I’m holding you personally responsible.”

Tenzin gave her a small smile, “Fair enough.”


	2. Scars and Sad Stories

Korra wasn’t sure whether putting Bolin on the prisoner rotation was the best or worst move she’d made in her life. On one hand, he kept Asami entertained which would make her more comfortable and less likely to cause trouble. On the other, this led to oversharing, and if this Asami was as dangerous as they had been told, she could use anything they gave her to her advantage. As she walked down to the cell, she decided to roll with it since she trusted their prisoner about as much as their employer. Such is the life of a mercenary. You pick the side that gives you what’s owed. She walked in on Bolin pontificating about the written word. Apparently no one reads books anymore, and this is some great sign of the slow disintegration of proper society. Asami seemed completely wrapped up in it, however.

“Think about Asimov or Dick or Clarke! We’re living in their worlds, and no one thinks to see what they have to say on the matter?!” Bolin was gesturing wildly at Asami, whose good eyebrow was raised in amused curiosity.

“What good are the stories of a bunch of Neanderthals who saw one moon landing and thought it made them experts of the universe?” Bolin jumped at the sound of Korra’s voice.

“Oh, hey Korra. I was just…making sure the inmate had adequate accommodations.”

“Inmate? What happened to Asami? I thought we were friends Bo.” Korra stifled a laugh at how much Bolin squirmed, trying to smooth things over. Asami shot her a mischievous look.

“If you’re done fraternizing with the enemy, I’m here to relieve you. Go get some sleep. Or go find Opal if you must keep spewing this shit about old science fiction writers.”

“Wait, what? She likes that stuff too?”

“Won’t shut up about it. Apparently everything we do is just like what some idiot wrote before the 21st century.”

“I see…and she usually hangs out where?”

“In her bunk with the maintenance crew on Deck C. You only need a pilot every once in a while, but when you do, you want them to be well rested.”

“Well, good luck with the prisoner, Korra. Be careful though. She’s a crafty one.”

“Oh, you flatter me, Bo. I’m just a silly little girl caught up in a big ol’ war.”

“Yeah, that’s why people are paying a fortune to get you into their custody. Later Bolin. Tell Opal I said hi.”

Bolin tried to protest that he was not about to run and find her, but quickly melted under the skeptical gazes from Korra and Asami. “Fine,” he said, “By the way, she kept asking when you would be coming around to see her. Tread carefully Korra.”

Korra scoffed as Bolin climbed above to the upper decks. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, that’s my bad. See I told him that I think you’re incredibly attractive, and that I would do unspeakable things to you, were you to return my affection.”

Korra did not know how to respond.

“My god, you’re adorable when you’re confused.”  
Korra finally snapped out of it. “I gotta say, this is the least subtle mind game a prisoner has ever played with me.”

Asami gasped in mock offense. “Mind games? I cannot believe you’d think I would ever resort to such devilish tricks.”

“For all I know, you’re the most evil being in the galaxy. Kuvira certainly wants you on lock down.”

“Oh please, if I was some kind of monster this whole operation wouldn’t be so damn secretive. They’d drag me out into the middle of the galactic equivalent of the town square, expose my crimes, and execute me. It rallies the people. Gets them to believe their friends and family dying was worth it. Helps them accept the new order. No, in order to get this treatment, you’ve gotta be more useful than evil.”

“So what? Now that you’re out of a job, you’re just gonna start working for the enemy? Apparently they don’t value loyalty in your line of work.”

“No, they don’t,” Asami said somberly, “Why rely on such a fickle thing as loyalty, when fear is so much more reliable?”  
Korra wasn’t sure whether putting Bolin on the prisoner rotation was the best or worst move she’d made in her life. On one hand, he kept Asami entertained which would make her more comfortable and less likely to cause trouble. On the other, this led to oversharing, and if this Asami was as dangerous as they had been told, she could use anything they gave her to her advantage. As she walked down to the cell, she decided to roll with it since she trusted their prisoner about as much as their employer. Such is the life of a mercenary. You pick the side that gives you what’s owed. She walked in on Bolin pontificating about the written word. Apparently no one reads books anymore, and this is some great sign of the slow disintegration of proper society. Asami seemed completely wrapped up in it, however.

“Think about Asimov or Dick or Clarke! We’re living in their worlds, and no one thinks to see what they have to say on the matter?!” Bolin was gesturing wildly at Asami, whose good eyebrow was raised in amused curiosity.

“What good are the stories of a bunch of Neanderthals who saw one moon landing and thought it made them experts of the universe?” Bolin jumped at the sound of Korra’s voice.

“Oh, hey Korra. I was just…making sure the inmate had adequate accommodations.”

“Inmate? What happened to Asami? I thought we were friends Bo.” Korra stifled a laugh at how much Bolin squirmed, trying to smooth things over. Asami shot her a mischievous look.

“If you’re done fraternizing with the enemy, I’m here to relieve you. Go get some sleep. Or go find Opal if you must keep spewing this shit about old science fiction writers.”

“Wait, what? She likes that stuff too?”

“Won’t shut up about it. Apparently everything we do is just like what some idiot wrote before the 21st century.”

“I see…and she usually hangs out where?”

“In her bunk with the maintenance crew on Deck C. You only need a pilot every once in a while, but when you do, you want them to be well rested.”

“Well, good luck with the prisoner, Korra. Be careful though. She’s a crafty one.”

“Oh, you flatter me, Bo. I’m just a silly little girl caught up in a big ol’ war.”

“Yeah, that’s why people are paying a fortune to get you into their custody. Later Bolin. Tell Opal I said hi.”

Bolin tried to protest that he was not about to run and find her, but quickly melted under the skeptical gazes from Korra and Asami. “Fine,” he said, “By the way, she kept asking when you would be coming around to see her. Tread carefully Korra.”

Korra scoffed as Bolin climbed above to the upper decks. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, that’s my bad. See I told him that I think you’re incredibly attractive, and that I would do unspeakable things to you, were you to return my affection.”

Korra did not know how to respond.

“My god, you’re adorable when you’re confused.”  
Korra finally snapped out of it. “I gotta say, this is the least subtle mind game a prisoner has ever played with me.”

Asami gasped in mock offense. “Mind games? I cannot believe you’d think I would ever resort to such devilish tricks.”

“For all I know, you’re the most evil being in the galaxy. Kuvira certainly wants you on lock down.”

“Oh please, if I was some kind of monster this whole operation wouldn’t be so damn secretive. They’d drag me out into the middle of the galactic equivalent of the town square, expose my crimes, and execute me. It rallies the people. Gets them to believe their friends and family dying was worth it. Helps them accept the new order. No, in order to get this treatment, you’ve gotta be more useful than evil.”

“So what? Now that you’re out of a job, you’re just gonna start working for the enemy? Apparently they don’t value loyalty in your line of work.”

“No, they don’t,” Asami said somberly, “Why rely on such a fickle thing as loyalty, when fear is so much more reliable?”

“So, you’re telling me you didn’t want to help Hiroshi Sato? You were just too scared to say no?”

Asami’s expression darkened. The playful tone left her voice. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” she said, rage boiling just below the surface, “You don’t know what that monster took from me, what I had to do to escape.” The last words trailed off, barely a whisper. She stared at the cell floor, lost in the past.

“Escape? You left before the Alliance fell?” She didn’t think Asami heard her. Eventually, she seemed to come out of it. She lifted her head and glanced at Korra.

She gave a weak smile and said, “You know what, let’s make a deal.”

Korra hesitated for a moment. She was beginning to think that maybe Asami was even more dangerous than they had been warned. Perhaps even talking to her was not being cautious enough. Eventually, curiosity got the best of her. “Let’s hear it.”

Asami’s face lightened up a bit. “Well, we’ve got a bit of a long trip ahead of us. How about we don’t get bogged down in what I did or didn’t do. I’m sure you just wanna get paid and be done with this. Am I right?”

“That’s correct.” Although, she had to admit, her morbid curiosity was threatening to get the better of her.

“Right, so we’ll just keep it light. Maybe a little flirty?”  
Korra scoffed. This woman could put on one hell of a mask.

“Deny it all you want, Korra. I don’t play a game, unless I know I’m gonna win.”

“What are you gonna do? Reach through the bars and casually put your arm around my shoulder while pretending to yawn?”

“Oh please, I think we both know you’d break the arm of anyone that tried something that hack. Although, fair point, this cell isn’t doing me any favors. I’ll figure it out though. I just have to get creative.”

Korra studied her for a while. She noticed for the first time how unusually put together Asami was. She’d been captive for at least a few weeks as far as they knew. And Earth Kingdom ships weren’t known for their amenities. There was something special about this woman. Whether that was good or bad, Korra couldn’t tell, but she felt it would be a waste not to delve any deeper.

“You know what, no deal. As you said, this is going to be a long trip. There’s only so much time we can fill with small talk. Plus, something tells me you’ve got some wild stories.”

Asami gave Korra what she thought was her first genuine smile. “Okay, but if I’m gonna be spilling my heart out to you, I expect something in return. None of this stoic soldier routine.”

“Mercenary,” Korra corrected her.

“Same thing. It’s just you’ve made the smart decision and pledged your loyalty to money. Something you can actually rely on to be exactly what it is. Anyway, now that we’re all into sharing. What would you like to know?”

Korra took a seat facing Asami through the cell door. She leaned back and crossed her arms. After a minute she asked what had been tumbling around in her head since she first saw Asami. “How’d you get that scar?”

Asami reached up and rubbed the scar unconsciously. Korra noticed that when her fingertips brushed the white orb in her ruined eye she didn’t flinch.

“Hmm,” she said thoughtfully, “I don’t really know how to tell it without starting way back.”

“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”

“Eh, fuck it. It’s a sad story, but…it will give a lot of context.”

So, she told Korra her story. How her father had become very wealthy very quickly from modest beginnings. How much of that wealth had come from less than honest means, about the enemies that that sort of work will bring. She told her about her mother. She had been young looking for an adventure and along came this older man. He offered a life no one in her family could have dreamed of. A chance to meet important people and make big decisions. A chance to venture out into the unknown and set their own rules. It helped that she loved him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until after this development that she found out the true nature of his work. By then she was in too deep. This man had taken care of her for years. He was the source of her money, her connections, her whole new life. She stuck it out, either through rationalization of what they were doing or the delusion that she could steer him away from that life. 

Eventually he started involving her in the business and she proved to be a natural. She was poised, intelligent, and decisive, but she always fought him. She tried at every turn to set him straight on a legitimate path. It angered his associates and strained their relationship. As it was becoming more and more unsteady, Asami’s mother became pregnant. If she had ever thought to leave, that wasn’t an option anymore. She knew she wouldn’t stand much of a chance on her own with a child, and Asami’s father would never be the kind of person to let his heir slip away. Asami said that these were probably the worst times for her mother. Her father grew more and more distant. Apparently he found his wife’s “condition” very inconvenient for business. Asami tried to make friends with the wives of his associates until she heard them talk about her behind her back. How she was lesser, she hadn’t come from money, that she was just a slut from a backwater town, and how her husband was just too nice to dump like the piece of filth she was. She became very lonely after that, and focused most of her energy on the baby. She spent all her time doing research and making preparations, determined to make sure that her child would have the best life possible and never have to question their place among their peers. When the child finally came, Asami said that her mother saw her husband’s eyes start to light up like they hadn’t in years. For a brief moment she thought that this baby would fix everything. Then, she came out a girl, and Asami’s mother saw those eyes dull and grow cold all over again.

The next few years were much better for her mother. Her parents relationship was more strained than ever, but her mother put all her energy into little Asami. She taught her everything she could. She enrolled her in every productive program she could think of: dance, self-defense, sports, science, anything so long as her daughter enjoyed it. The best thing she did was teach Asami to love learning, to endlessly try to improve and perfect. By the time Asami was 8 years old she was miles ahead of any of the other children. Her father even pitched in. He taught her engineering and business, and Asami soaked it all up eagerly, in part for the knowledge itself, but mostly because of the attention and bonding with her father that came with it.

As she got older, she began to notice the tension between her parents, and how that wasn’t normal. She heard their fights more often, and became more aware of what they were about and how they were becoming more intense. Apparently her mother had been getting involved in their business affairs again and realized that while she had been focusing on Asami, her husband had been making drastic and illegal changes. She did something. Asami wasn’t sure what, but apparently it threw a huge wrench into her father’s plans and royally pissed off his associates. The fight they had that night was the worst she’d ever heard. So bad that she snuck out of her room and listened outside their door. Her father was livid. He was screaming about the danger they were in now and how it was all her fault. Her mother stood her ground and yelled right back. She said she would rather live in fear than deal with those evil men. Eventually her father lost it and began hitting her. Asami had cried in the hallway. She wanted to help her mother, but she was too scared. She felt helpless. She ran back to her room and pretended to be asleep. When she saw her the next morning, she was covered in bruises. Asami regretted not going in to help her, and she became furious at her father. A resentment that, she said “never really died down.”

Asami continued to stare at the wall as she had through most of this story. “I found out most of this from my mom’s sister years later. Apparently they kept in contact the whole time, and my mom told her all this. This next part though…I was there for the whole thing. This part’s never really fun to tell.”

“Again, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Please, you might be the only person I’ll ever get to tell this too again. And, you stuck through it this long. You deserve a conclusion. I’ll warn you though. It’s not pleasant.”

* * *

Asami was awakened by the sound of a scream, her mother’s scream. It was the night before her 12th birthday. She lay frozen with fear and listened. She could hear angry voices coming from down the hall. She began to think about that night when her parents had fought, and how she hated herself for not intervening. She quietly got out of bed and headed towards the source of noise, grabbing her sparring sword on the way out the door. The voices were coming from her parents’ bedroom. As she made her way down the hall, the voices grew clearer. Her mother was hysterical, pleading with whoever was in there, and her father was bumbling, desperately trying to make his case. She tiptoed up to the door and peered through the crack. Her mother and father were both on their knees and both had been roughed up. Her father’s nose was bleeding everywhere and her mother was sporting a terrible looking black eye.

“Look,” her father said, spitting out blood as he pleaded, “you’ve made your point. We will never ever do anything like that again. You can tell Yakone-”

“Yakone?” a deep voice cut him off, “you think this is just from him? The rest of your associates have been tolerating your disruptions for far too long. Your idiotic ploy wasn’t the reason behind this. It was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back. Don’t get me wrong, you can be useful. We’re not going to kill you. We’re simply here to remove what’s holding you back.”

Asami saw realization wash over her father’s face. “No! No please! You can’t. I’ll keep her away from the business. I’ll send her away if I must. Please, you can’t do this.”

“Not going to work that way. We need this lesson to stick.” She saw a man in a black mask step forward and level a gun at her mother’s forehead. Her father continued to plead desperately, but her mother had become calm. She stared into the eyes of the man wordlessly, a look of determination on her face. 

Asami burst through the door screaming and ran at the gunman, bringing her sword down as hard as she could on his wrist. The sword was blunted so it didn’t cut, but she heard the bones in his forearm crack. The man howled with pain and yelled “You little bitch!” as she stepped back he drew a huge knife with his good hand and in one swift motion brought it down towards her face. She tried to bring up her sword to block it as she had been taught, but he was too quick. She stumbled backwards, dazed. She had been hit, but didn’t feel anything. Then, she slowly realized that she could only see out of her right eye, and felt warm blood dripping down her forehead and cheek. She collapsed against the wall as the man advanced on her. Instinctively she tried weakly to raise her sword again to defend herself.

“Eough!” she heard someone shout. There was a woman that Asami hadn’t seen from the door standing off to the side. “We did not come here to butcher a little girl,” the woman snarled. She was tall and muscular with jet black hair and two scars on her left cheek that reached toward her jawline.

The man stopped at once and sheathed his blade. He held his injured arm gingerly and glared at Asami as he backed away. Asami looked over at her parents. Her father looked absolutely shocked, and her mother, who had looked so composed and determined a few seconds ago, now wore a face of complete horror as tears formed in her eyes again.

“We’ve already been here too long,” said the woman. “Let’s get this over with.” She took two casual steps forward and leveled her gun at Asami’s mother .

“Wait, n-!” was all that Asami’s mother got out before she pulled the trigger. A bright red light erupted from the end of the barrel, and in an instant, the left half of her head was gone. She stayed upright for a moment, the look of horror still etched upon what remained of her face. Then, she collapsed forward onto the floor. Acrid smoke billowed from the wound. Asami’s father was shaking and crying uncontrollably. Asami felt herself slipping away into unconsciousness from her wound. She welcomed it, and hoped that she would never wake up.

* * *

“But I did. I woke up the next morning in the hospital. My mother was dead, my face had been ruined, and my father…he was broken.” Asami stared off into space, lost in memories.

Korra watched her sullenly. She honestly didn’t know what to say. Eventually Asami, seemed to snap out of it. She finally broke her gaze with the wall and turned to Korra.

“So I stayed with my father for a few more years. Although I doubt he noticed. He threw himself into his work. I guess that was easier than actually having to become a functional parent. At sixteen I ran away and found my aunt back in my mom’s hometown on Earth. She told me most of what you just heard and gave me what she could. But, she was so poor. I knew there was no way she could support me as well as herself, even though she would have tried. So I left. Used some of the money I took from my dad and enrolled myself in a good college. I lied about my age, but with my skills and family name, they didn’t ask too many questions. I learned everything I could about these ships,” she looked around her smiling. “I wanted to build one of my own someday. One that could take me anywhere I wanted, at any time.”

There was a long pause while Korra thought about what had been nagging her about the story in the back of her mind.

“You know, I can’t help but think I’ve heard parts of that story before. It sounds like a movie or something that I saw once and mostly forgot.”

“Oh you most definitely have heard it before. Or at least, a whitewashed romanticized version.”

Asami watched with an amused expression as waves of realization came crashing over Korra. “So…wait…your parents…”

“Yup, almost everyone knows the tragic tale of Yasuko and Hiroshi Sato. They just never seem to remember the daughter’s name, do they?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to involve more of the crew in this chapter, but I wanted these two to have a significant scene right off the bat. I thought about keeping Asami's identity secret for longer, but I feel like at this point, she just doesn't care. She's too burnt out. I think this is gonna take longer than I initially realized to write, but I definitely want to finish it. It'll be a good challenge. I've probably never written anything longer than 10,000 words, so this should be interesting. Hopefully, some other people will like it too. Again, any advice is appreciated.


	3. Outlaws

Korra had to tell Tenzin what she had learned from Asami. He probably wouldn’t be happy. Korra should have known better than to start fraternizing with a high value asset like her. She knew that was a stupid move, but her curiosity about the woman had overridden her caution, not that Korra was ever very cautious anyway. She’d never had a very good handle on weighing consequences. Most of the time she just followed her instincts, which was probably how she ended up a mercenary. At least that same trait seemed to make her pretty good at it.

Korra arrived at Tenzin’s quarters, and knocked on the door loudly and impatiently. Korra heard grumbling and the sound of someone making their way to the door. It slid open to reveal Tenzin, his face full of an equal mix of annoyance, drowsiness, and apprehension.  
“I’m assuming this is going to be important.”

“Yes, it’s about the prisoner.”

“Asami?” he asked curiously.

“Asami Sato,” Korra responded. Tenzin was suddenly wide awake.

* * *  
After she finished recounting the story to Tenzin, they sat in silence in his quarters. He was absentmindedly stroking his beard, his eyes looking through his window into the stars as if he was searching for one in particular. Korra reached the end of her patience pretty quickly and spoke up.

“So, what are we gonna do?” Tenzin slowly shifted his gaze turning away from the window to look at Korra.  
“For right now, nothing.”

“Nothing?” Korra said incredulously. “We just found out our prisoner was borderline royalty. We’ve never dealt with anything on this level before. Aside from Hiroshi himself, she’s probably the most wanted person in the galaxy.”

“No, if my suspicions are correct, she could be far more valuable than Hiroshi.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Hiroshi’s strength was always technology. It didn’t matter that the Earth Empire had more soldiers, more ships, more resources, more everything. They couldn’t keep up with his equipment. Anytime they’d poach something from the Alliance, invention or personnel, he adapted. Everything they had was always just ahead of what even the best Earth Empire scientists could manage. For a long time, people attributed this to Hiroshi’s genius. He had always been a brilliant inventor if nothing else. But, that couldn’t work. He was leading the Alliance. Between war strategies, resource management, and even just the logistics of running the organization he simply wouldn’t have the time to churn out new technology at that pace.”

“It must have been someone else.”

“Exactly, someone just as, if not more, talented than him. But, more important than their ability, they had to be untraceable. You can’t become the most important cog in one of the most powerful organizations in history without a paper trail. Hiroshi would only want the best of the best. That person would be loaded down with notoriety: awards, commendations, inventions already to their name. The only way to find someone like that would be through…unorthodox avenues.”

“Criminals.”

“Yes, our expanse as a species has led to an unprecedented growth in the black market. So many places to hide, such rapid growth with essentially no regulation, entire worlds devoted solely to unregulated trade. Never before could someone amass so much power without anyone knowing their name.”

“But there’s no way you could trust someone from that world. Hiroshi’s plan would ultimately throttle the black market. Why would he ever expect them to work for him. Unless…”

“Unless he found one he could trust implicitly. One he could offer more than wealth or power to.”

“Asami,” Korra said softly.

Tenzin nodded. “Did you ever wonder why you hadn’t heard of this woman until now? She’s the daughter of arguably the most famous person alive today, and by all accounts, even more talented. No one’s heard of her in over a decade. She could have taken employment absolutely anywhere after she finished school. Everything from military to private enterprise. She would have ruled whatever field she entered, but when the time came to leave school and enter the galactic community in earnest, she vanished. That was big news. Although, I’ll bet even that didn’t reach you where you were at the time.”

Korra tensed, ready to yell at Tenzin, if he dared look at her with that sad pity she so hated. Thankfully, he’d learned his lesson years ago. She knew it was still there, probably always would be, but he did a good job of hiding it. Korra appreciated that. Tenzin pressed on.

“Most people have come to believe she simply died in a dark corner of our ever expanding reach. It happens pretty easily these days. It’s getting a lot easier to slip through the cracks, seeing as they’re basically canyons now.”

“So, you think she took up with some criminal organization, and climbed right on up the ladder until Hiroshi showed up to take his daughter home?”

“It’s my leading theory at the moment. It makes sense, although it doesn’t come remotely close to answering all my questions.”

“And knowing all this, you want us to do, nothing.”

“Korra, this is clearly something way over our heads. It’s now pretty certain that we were chosen for this job because we’re expendable, so I can imagine that it’s not going to go the way we expect. Clearly Kuvira wanted to keep us in the dark about this, which means we now know something they didn’t want us to know, although I have to imagine she would think we’d figure it out eventually. Either way, I think it’s in our best interest to avoid acting until we know more. I don’t want to make an enemy of Kuvira unless I absolutely have to.”

“We could still do something. I could work with the crew, get them prepared for anything. Don’t let on what’s happening, but make sure they’re in top form if we do have to make a move.”

“Yes, that’s smart. This could hit us out of nowhere.” Tenzin went back to staring out the window, lost in thought.

“Tenzin,” Korra got his attention back, “you said she was probably more wanted than Hiroshi. What makes you think that?”

Tenzin paused for a moment, “You said she claims she left his side before the Alliance fell. That makes sense. They were always one step ahead of the Empire. Even though they were losing ground, it still looked like they could hold off indefinitely. Then, all of the sudden, the tide turned. It was like the Alliance gave up. They started losing battle after battle. Their technology began falling behind. Production slowed to a crawl. Repairs that previously had taken days, now took weeks. They had clearly taken a huge internal blow. It makes sense that losing Asami could be the cause, but that still doesn’t really answer your question fully.”  
“At the battle of Ilos, the last major Alliance victory before this decline started. The Empire’s forces got absolutely trounced. They suffered something like 90% casualties. Stories started coming out from the survivors. Kuvira tried to squash them, but things like that always get through, at least in some circles. They spoke of something beyond the capabilities of even the Alliances most advanced technology. They claimed that it wasn’t just that their ships and guns and engines were better, but that what they were doing was physically impossible. They said it was magic, but even more importantly, that it was horrifying. There were 5,000 survivors. From what I understand over 4500 deserted the Empire, an act that is punishable by death. Of those that stayed, nearly all were deemed unfit for combat. Whatever they saw, it was unprecedented.”

“And you think that Asami was responsible for what happened at Ilos.”

“Or she may just have knowledge of it. I know that if I were in charge of the Empire, I would want to find out everything I could about what happened during that battle.”

Yet again, Tenzin slipped into state of quiet contemplation. Korra sat patiently for a moment before asking what had been nagging her during this whole conversation.

“You’re not upset.”

“Pardon?” Tenzin came back to the present.

“I let my guard down with the prisoner. I could have let her get something out of me by mistake. You don’t seem at all concerned.”

Tenzin waved his hand dismissively. “The information you got is more important. And, I had a feeling something like this might happen.”

“Oh did you?”

“Like I said. For a time, Asami was pretty famous. When you have that sort of focus on you people tend to take an interest in your personal life, your tastes, preferences. And I know how you usually handle such things.”

Korra stared stone-faced at Tenzin. She detected the slightest hint of a smirk on his stoic features. It made her furious.

“I need to get some sleep. My next shift starts in a few hours.” Korra rose and strode quickly to the door.

“That sounds like a good idea.” Just as Korra was about to close the door behind her, Tenzin called out. “Korra, I think it would be best for you to continue to get to know our guest. Based on what she’s already told you, I don’t think her loyalty to her father is particularly strong. At this point information is our most important asset. Just remember, be careful. She is very dangerous.”  
“So are we,” Korra responded.

Tenzin gazed back at her, a grave expression on his face. “You know what I mean. There’s a difference between those who survive outside the law, and those who thrive there.”

Korra nodded, turned and walked over to the lift.

She barely got a wink of sleep that night. Her mind kept turning over her conversation with Tenzin and images of their prisoner raced through constantly. Two decks below, in the brig, Asami was sound asleep, a small smile etched upon her tranquil face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long. It was a combination of things picking up at my internship and good old procrastination. This is going to be a long process, but I'll try to be more consistent going forward. As always, comments are appreciated.


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